Polish doctors examining former president of Georgia Saakashvili, says Polish PM

WARSAW (Reuters) - A team of Polish doctors has started examining former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.

Saakashvili, 55, was sent to prison in 2021 for six years on charges of abusing his power while president of the ex-Soviet state, a charge he says was politically motivated. His health deteriorated in prison, where he has staged repeated hunger strikes and alleges he was poisoned.

"We do not leave friends in need," Morawiecki wrote on Twitter. "At my request, a team of Polish doctors... started a comprehensive medical examination of President Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia.

Warsaw had previously proposed to the Georgian government that Saakashvili be treated in Poland.

Saakashvili himself has asked to be transferred abroad for treatment.

In a video shot during a court hearing last week, an emaciated Saakashvili lifted his shirt to show protruding ribs.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Toby Chopra)